A Light Shining In Darkness
by SilverDawn97
Summary: Set several years before the events of RWBY, four young women seek to embrace their destinies as Huntresses. However, their story may not be a happy one... After all, the darkness of Grimm always waits in the shadows, seeking out any opportunity to snuff out the light...


**_Prologue: New Beginnings_**

**_B_**

"_Red like Roses fills my head with dreams that find me…_

_Always closer to the emptiness and sadness that has come to take the place of you…"_

Looking out across that boundless horizon… I can't help but wonder what the future holds for me. Will I ever be able to break free of this curse? Or am I doomed to leave a trail of corpses in my wake forevermore…? My name is Belladonna D'arcangelo. I was born in the distant city of Sanctum, far to the West. It was there where my story first began…

Where the trail of bodies first began. I never really knew my parents; when I was only five years old, they were cruelly taken from me by a rogue Hunter. He came in the middle of the night, never making a sound. I think back often to that night; how differently things might have gone. If it wasn't for the nightmares that plagued me that night, my tale might have gone quite differently. I was walking down the halls that dark and cold winter's night, making a lonely and frightened journey to see my parents; their comforting presence always seemed to chase away the nightmares. But when I entered their room, I was not met by the sight of my parents lying comfortably in bed. Instead, I saw my mother lying in a pool of her own blood, and I saw my father kneeling on the floor, facing the door with a look of resignation in his eyes. In front of him stood a man in a large overcoat, with his back to the door, and a gun to my father's head. The last thing my father saw was the sight of his daughter, quaking in fear, standing only a few feet behind the man who would become his murderer. I dropped to the floor crying as the gunshot echoed through the room.

Turning around at the sound of my cries, he saw me, bawling at the loss of the only family I had ever known. I will never forget the words he said to me that night… "Don't blame me for their deaths, little one. Blame your father. If he had better judgment in business partners, I wouldn't have had to kill him." With that, the man simply walked past me, sparing my life. It was the last mistake he ever made. I knew that my father always carried that strange-looking pistol of his at all times, and looking at the dead bodies of my beloved parents… I felt an anger rise within me unlike any I have ever known, even to this day.

Running to my father's lifeless body, a flash of lightning outside illuminated the room, and showed me what I was searching for: My father's pistol. He had told me many times of the strange words he had engraved into the barrel: _"And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not."_ The words were written in a strange and foreign language, something my father had called "Greek", but I had never heard of such a language before. Grabbing the gun by its rough, snakeskin grip, I ran out of the room just in time to see the stranger reaching the landing of the stairs. With tears streaming down my face, and the pounding of rain resounding through the opened front door, I pulled my finger one, two, three, four, five, six times. All six shots hit their target square in the back, the powerful rounds immediately dropping the murderer in his tracks. For the next hour… I just stood there, the sounds of the clicking trigger echoing in my mind. I still hadn't left that spot at the top of the stairs… And I still hadn't stopped pulling the trigger, even after my finger was rubbed painfully raw, and began to bleed over the floor. Even more of my family's blood hit the floor, to better match the stains left by my parent's' broken corpses only a room away.

When I finally regained a measure of my senses, I felt only one thought pass through my mind: _"Run." _And so I ran. I ran, and ran and ran, until I finally found myself sitting in an alleyway on the borders of the city limits. As my nightgown was soaked not only by the rain, but by my own tears as well, I couldn't help but wonder… _Why?_ Why did this happen to me…What did I do to deserve this? Looking in my hands, I saw my father's pistol still tightly clenched in my small, desperately shaking hands. Looking down at that instrument of death, a strange sense of finality came over me. With barely even a thought, I raised the barrel of the gun, and it slid firmly into my open and waiting mouth. Uttering a silent prayer to whatever gods might be looking down on me... I pulled the trigger, and heard the loudest, most ear-rending sound I have ever heard._ "Click."_

For several minutes, I sat there in silence, with not a single thought passing through my mind... Then suddenly, I threw the empty gun down the alleyway... What cruel deity would do this to me? I was only a child, and yet I had already taken my first life. After a while... I stood up, and walked down the alleyway to retrieve the gun. I was lost and alone, with no home or family to go back to... This gun, this light shining in the darkness, would be my only memento of my original family... Of the life that could have been.

The next morning, I awoke to see the face of a young boy about my age looking down on me. When he saw my eyes flutter open, he asked me a simple question, accompanied by a warm smile. "Hi there. My name's Joshua. What's yours?" "Bella..." I answered quietly. At first, I thought I had just woken up from a bad dream, until I heard the dreaded question._ "Why do you have that gun, Bella?"_ And I knew that... I couldn't answer him. Not truthfully, at least. Because Joshua... He was still a child, young and innocent. But me? I was something else now... I was broken.

That day, Joshua took me home to his family. I told them my name, and after seeing reports of a missing child matching my description, they took me to the police... And then immediately requested that they be able to adopt me. The judge, feeling pity for me, decided to dismiss all possible charges of murder, and immediately granted Joshua's parents custody of me. He and Joshua's father were old friends, and he knew I would be in good hands.

My time growing up in Joshua's family was among the best years of my life. We quickly became like brother and sister, and rarely strayed far apart. After many years of growing up on stories of brave heroes and fearsome monsters, the two of us decided to forego normal school, and asked our parents to let us attend the prestigious Sanctum Battle Academy. after much serious discussion both among themselves and us, it was finally agreed upon; the following September, me and Joshua would begin our education at Sanctum Battle Academy.

When the school year started at the Academy, it seemed as though life could never get better; the teachers were friendly, and always more than willing to help with any problems or questions we might face. Then, several months into the year came one of the most important moments of our lives. As we went home that day, we were given simple instructions: Before the end of the month, we would have to experiment with, and then choose, which weapon we would like to learn how to use during the rest of our stay at the Academy. Joshua, always seeking to be the "Knight in shining armor", immediately gravitated towards the classic sword and shield combo. Me, however... Deep down, I knew what weapon I would end up choosing. I meandered over to where the other students were carefully examining various types of firearms, and began my search.

While the other student where ooh-ing and aah-ing over all the different shotguns, sniper rifles, and even a few combination weapons, I was drawn towards a familiar looking pistol. It was a .45 Auto Pistol, an old-fashioned, yet brutally effective handgun. Thinking back to my original father's gun, locked up back at home, I knew I would need to learn how to use it... to learn how to wield my most powerful memories through that weapon. And yet... looking at it, I knew the pistol alone wasn't enough.

Deciding to look through the various melee weapons available, I spent several days trying out each until I found the one for me: The Katana. Holding that keen, finely balanced blade in one hand, with my somewhat heavy, yet devastatingly effective pistol in the other, it felt... Right. I knew I had found my fighting style. After that was when our lessons truly began. First, we were divided into several groups based on our choices in weapons. In addition to receiving specialized training based on our choices in weaponry, we were all taught about the wonders of Dust; how it carried potent elemental powers in its crystalized form, as well as the many unusual powers that Hunters and Huntresses could harness through manipulation of the Dust that flowed through their blood.

Everyone has at least a trace of Dust in their blood, but for us, Dust is the one thing separating us from life and death. It manifests itself in many different ways. All of us learned how to harness our Dust to form an Aura, but others learned other skills… I even witnessed a young girl who could already manifest the power of flames. As for me… My Dust manifested itself in a way that none of the instructors had ever witnessed before. In most cases, only crystalized or powdered Dust is powerful enough to manifest elemental "magic"; only the most dedicated and experienced of warriors could manifest such powers on their own. But for me, I was able to manifest such effects within my first month at the Academy. However, my gift had a strange drawback: I could manifest the elements by channeling them through my weapon. I could set my blade alight with a mere thought, but if you asked me to throw a ball of fire, I would find it simply impossible.

For a while, things seemed as though they could never get better; both Joshua and I were doing spectacularly in all our classes, and it seemed as though I had finally managed to leave my bloodstained past behind me. But... I was wrong. One day, I got home late from school after putting in some extra training, and saw a nightmare awaiting me as I returned home. Our house was ablaze, as well as several other nearby homes the fire had spread to. The firefighters did everything in their power to extinguish the blaze, even expending several valuable crystals of Dust to conjure water to extinguish the blaze. But this was no ordinary fire. Something, or someone, was keeping the fire magically lit, until my home, along with my second family, was little more than ashes in the breeze. And then, just as soon as it began, the fires sputtered, and quickly died out. But it was too late for them... Too late for Joshua.

As the firefighters searched the little remaining wreckage of the home, we were all surprised when they found something: A small wooden box, of all things, left completely untouched by the fire. It wasn't even warm. And looking inside... There it was. my father's pistol, the gun I had eventually dubbed "A Light Shining in Darkness". I felt as though the gods were taunting me. Hearing about what happened to my adopted family, the Academy offered to give me a place to stay, as well as free meals, lessons, and even a reccomendation to whatever Hunter's Academy I desired, as a way of showing their condolences for my loss. I was very grateful, as even though my adopted parents left me a good many things in their wills, almost all of it was consumed in the same blaze that claimed their lives.

As the end of my time at the Sanctum Battle Academy drew near, all graduates were informed that they would need to forge their own weapon if they wished to continue their education into an Advanced Battle Academy. I knew I could never bear to discard my treasured pistol, so I instead decided to forge my own katana. But for this blade... I had something special in mind. It took me several days to forge the entire sword, but when it was finished... The handle was wrapped in a fine, dark blue silk, with bands of black silk overlaying it in a criss-crossing diamond pattern, to provide a firm and steady grip, and a short blue ribbon tied to the end of the handle. The crossguard required much more finely detailed work, and the final design depicted the sun and the moon meeting each other in a yin-yang style design. I constructed the sheath out of hardened steel with a leather interior, then encased the entire sheath in a coat of dark, metallic blue paint, to match the color of the handle. And then there was the blade itself... As my hammer struck the blade during the first steps of the metalworking, I could feel a powerful rush of magic through each hammerblow. The Dust was giving me a gift, one that became apparent when the blade was completed. Instead of a normal shade of steel, the metal of the blade gleamed like silver, and held the sharpest edge I had ever beheld. And then... Enscribed on the blade in Greek was a single word. Even though I didn't speak the language, I already knew what it said. _"Joshua"._

And so... here I stand, on an airship bound for the faraway Beacon Academy. After all the tragedies that have followed me my entire life, I don't know what lies in store for me. But I do know one thing. My families... Both of them... They may be gone, but as long as I continue to draw breath... They shall never be forgotten.

**_A_**

They see me as small and helpless. They see me as just a child. They'll be surprised when they find out that a warrior will soon run wild. Ever since the day I was born, I've been blind. My parents thought that I would be crippled forever, but they were sorely mistaken. I can see far more than anyone around me, and I can hear the stars at night, calling out my name. My name is Aeryn Snowfall. And I seek to become the first blind Huntress.

Since the moment I was born, I could hear it softly in the background of the world. It was a song; quiet, yet beautiful. As I grew, I asked my parents if they could hear it, but they never could. For the first decade of my childhood, I was always looked down upon for being unable to see the wonders of the world around me. For a long time, it pained me greatly that I could never see the stars at night. But as I grew up, the song slowly grew louder and louder, until it finally became an almost deafening melody. That was when I finally closed my blank eyes… And opened up my mind.

All at once, the world seemed to flare with color. I could see the world in many different vibrant hues, but none were more vibrant than the colors I saw flow from my parent's hearts whenever they laid eyes upon me. When I told them of the colors, they took me to a doctor, and when he found nothing wrong with me physically, they took me to a scientist who specialized in the study of Dust. When I told him of the song, I could see his entire body light up with vibrant colors of joy. He told me that to compensate for my blindness, my body had developed an almost unbreakable connection to not only the Dust in my own blood, but the Dust that filled the veins of every object and being.

And this connection to the Dust had given me a gift that I thought I would never have: Sight, not only of the world around me, but of the hearts and souls of every living person. That night, I stayed awake all night, looking up at the stars for the first time, and watching the faintly radiant glow of a million far-off worlds. But that wasn't all I saw. I saw the Moon for the first time… As well as the grievous wound it carried. When I asked my parents about it, they simply remained silent, and I could see their souls glow with a dark blue wrought of sadness.

After a while, I decided that I had been given this gift for a reason. If the Gods had given me this gift, then it would only be right for me to do everything in my power to aid the efforts of the force that had changed my life. I decided that… I would become a Huntress, and fight off the monstrosities that threatened to extinguish the light of our species. When I first told my parents, they were… Less than thrilled. But they also knew that I had the right to decide the direction I wanted to go in life…

That year, I began my education at Sanctum Battle Academy. It required much convincing on my parents part to even get me into the school, but eventually, I was permitted entry due to my "unique abilities". When classes began, our first assignment was to decide on which weapon, or weapons, we wished to be instructed in. At first, I was flummoxed at all the possibilities. I honestly had no idea what weapon I would be best with, or even how I would begin to handle myself in combat. That was when I realized that perhaps I could turn my own appearance into a weapon of its own.

When I told the instructors that I would not be choosing a weapon, they appeared flummoxed to say the least. But then I explained to them the method behind my seeming madness. I told them how anyone could tell that I was blind; this made any opponent I faced begin combat assuming they would hold a significant advantage over me. But imagine if they saw not a trained warrior, but a helpless little girl, born blind, and completely unarmed. I could turn my enemies' own assumptions against them, turning an apparent weakness into a valuable advantage. They permitted it, saying that my logic was sound, but also advising that I should at least choose an easily concealed ranged weapon, as I was obviously too fragile to stand toe-to-toe in combat with the creatures of Grimm.

Oh, the looks on their faces when I created a giant pillar of ice in the middle of the courtyard, my entire body aglow with the blazing light of my Aura. I didn't even know how it happened; I just felt a tugging deep in my heart, made a simple motion with my hand… It all seemed so natural. So easy. With the question of my combat style answered, the Academy began to take a very special interest in me. I was singled out from the rest of my classmates, put through rigorous solitary training, and only ever seeing my "classmates" as I returned to my private dorm, exhausted from a hard day's work.

My training may have been difficult, but it was also very effective. The man who taught me the art of unarmed combat, a man by the name of Ra'as, became like a father to me, teaching me not only how to use deception to convince my opponents that I was indeed helpless, but also how to use their surprise to my advantage when they discovered otherwise. By the end of my first month of training, he had taught me how to fight six men. By the final month, he had taught me how to engage six hundred.

As for my newly discovered talent with Dust, the instructors continued trying to push me to my limits, and only rarely finding them. My Aura was very strong indeed, allowing me to last longer in prolonged combat, as well as enable a tad bit more risk-taking in hand-to-hand combat. My instructor found that out the hard way when he told me to dodge his blade, only to watch as I caught it with my bare hand… And promptly snapped it in half. As for my ability to harness the elemental effects of Dust… We quickly learned that although I could only manifest the element of ice, the term "prodigy" quickly became an understatement for my skills in manipulating it.

One day, I was faced with my first real challenge… And my first real taste of danger. One day, Ra'as decided that it was time to test my skills in real combat. He had brought in a captured and bound Beowulf, and informed me that my goal was simple: Slay it on my own, using my own two hands. Looking at a true monster for the first time, I was immediately struck by its appearance: I viewed the world by seeing the Dust, the _soul_ in every creature and object. But this _thing…_ All I saw was a black void. A blank emptiness.

Bracing myself, I was caught off-guard by its unexpected speed. Suddenly, it was upon me in a flurry of claws. I quickly realized that it would be suicidal, even for me, to fight this opponent bare-fisted, so I thought on my feet. The moment it provided me an opening, I viciously kicked it back to give me room to maneuver, then manifested my Dust in a way I had never tried before. I assumed a fighting stance and regained my footing, then watched the Beowolf's confusion as two gauntlets of solid ice formed around my hands, a trio of sharp icy spikes tipping my knuckles. I charged forward, taking advantage of its surprise, and delivered a series of quick, solid blows to its torso, leaving it bloody and battered. By the time it had recovered, I had already driven three icy spikes through its bottom jaw, ending its life. Ra'as was impressed; I had expressed ingenuity in battle, and still managed to win using "my own two hands"… Even if they were shrouded in deadly ice.

As the years wound on, the only thing I failed in was finding a person to call my friend. The closest thing I had to a friend was a young girl who I occasionally saw out the window. She was tall and willowy, had flowing black hair, and always seemed to travel alongside a brash young boy who I assumed to be a close friend. But then, something happened that brought that girl into the forefront of the entire Academy's attention. Her home had been burnt to the ground, her entire family killed in the blaze. That was the day I learned her name. "Belladonna D'arcangelo"… The girl who I saw pass me by every day had lost everything she ever cared for. After that, she stopped passing by my dorm room; she no longer had a home to go to. Sometimes I would pass by her in the halls… And I saw sadness in her unlike anything I had ever witnessed before.

When graduation day finally arrived, and we each received our diplomas, I saw something different about her as she took to the stage to receive her diploma; she was happy. And looking at the metallic blue scabbard hanging at her side, I knew why. There was more to that simple blade than met the eye; it was more than mere metal. Pulsing within the finely-honed blade, I could see a bright, shining light… A kind, happy soul I had witnessed many times before…

After receiving my own diploma, along with many different awards and accolades for my performance in my private, advanced classes. I was offered the once-in-a-lifetime chance to attend whichever Advanced Battle Academy I chose. But I knew where my road led me. Since I was a child, I had always been told tales of Beacon Academy, the beating heart and soul of the world's coalition of Hunters and Huntresses. That, and… It was where the song said I belonged. For that song had never stopped, only quieted, and growing more subtle in its notes and rhythms. Beacon was where I belonged. It was where my story would finally begin.

**_S_**

_"Dry your eyes now, baby; Broken wings won't hold you down. You'll take flight soon, baby; you'll be lifted up, and you'll be there…" _These were the words my mother sung to me throughout my childhood… Even as the mobs began to break down our doors. Even as they beat her senseless, calling her a crazy witch, a stupid animal, as I lay sobbing in the corner, concealed beneath my bed.

My name is Serenity. Like many unfortunate faunus, I don't have the luxury of a last name. Almost all faunus in this day and age are discriminated against, but few have it worse than me… After all, even among faunus, it's rather uncommon to see a girl with a pair large, white-feathered wings sprouting from her back. I am an owl faunus, and one of only a small few who were born "gifted" with a pair of fully functioning wings. However, this "gift" called much attention to both me and my mother as a child… Something that eventually turned my early childhood into a living hell.

Maybe that's why I felt inclined to join the White Fang during its founding years. I was only seven years old when they were first founded, but after years of living in slums and back alleys with my mother, I decided that enough was enough. When I first joined, they were just beginning to get organized, and yet they already had plans in the works for boycotts, protests, the whole shebang.

When I came to them, they saw an opportunity. They lifted me up as the poster child of Faunus oppression, telling the whole world about how I had been forced to live off the crumbs of human society, how I had been denied every possible chance at equality… How I had been held down and forced to watch, as my mother was tortured to death by a band of thugs on a few weeks prior. After over a year, we had finally begun to make progress, to the point where there were even a small handful of small, faunus-only Battle Academies being established. It was still segregation, but it was a step in the right direction. But once the Academies had actually begun teaching students, an unfortunate wrinkle arose: No Advanced Battle Academies "saw enough potential" to be willing to accept any possible graduates of the Academies. But when I reached my thirteenth birthday, the minimum age required in order to attend a Beginning Battle Academy, I signed up anyways.

Our options in weaponry, as well as the experience of many of our instructors, were severely limited by the continuing discrimination against faunus; but somehow, we made due regardless. When given the choice in which weapons I would like to use, I decided on a simple, yet effective pair of weapons: A long, slender rapier, and a compound hunting bow. I was satisfied with my decision… But also disheartened, for shortly after, I was informed by my instructors that I was the only student who was able to choose two weapons, as there simply weren't enough to go around for everyone to get two weapons. Looking back, it was ironic… My whole life, I had been treated like a monster because of my heritage, and yet now that I was among my fellow outcasts, I was given special treatment, all because I had helped advance the cause of the White Fang.

By the second year of my education at the "Signal Battle Academy for Gifted Faunus", or "The Dog House" as many humans put it, the instructors we had been had provided with had taught us everything they knew… So we began to experiment, expanding and perfecting the fighting styles we had learned right alongside our teachers, developing a wide variety of new, self-taught fighting styles, many of which took advantage of some of the unique traits that separate each species of faunus form the humans.

But then, when the final year of our education began, something happened. There was a changing of the guard in the White Fang's leadership… And our new leader had determined that instead of trying the diplomatic solution, that we would accomplish far more as a terrorist organization. Many of us were all appalled at this radical change in doctrines… To the point where many of us, me included turned our backs on the group that very moment. I thought that by doing so, I had forever washed my hands clean of that group and its affairs. I was wrong.

The final month of our education at the academy, I received a letter, along with a shiny chrome suitcase, both addressed to me, and both from different senders. Enclosed within the letter, was something I never thought I would have seen: Graduation transcripts from the Academy, as well as a letter of acceptance from Beacon Academy. Apparently, the Headmaster, Daniel Ozpin, had been closely following my progress within the Academy, and wanted me to be the first faunus student to ever attend Beacon Academy, as he put it, "To help bridge the ever-shortening gap between the civil rights of our two species." I was ecstatic at this news; I was finally making a difference.

But that feeling vanished the moment I opened the suitcase. The first thing I noticed upon opening it was a simple slip of paper, with a familiar image upon it: The sigil of the "reformed" White Fang. On the other side was a message, one that chilled me to the bone. Written in flowing red ink was a single sentence: "Make us proud." Examining the contents of the case, I was awestruck by what was contained within: A small, white rod engraved with the name _"_Taulmaril", a rod that I immediately recognized to be a collapsible bow, and a quiver filled with arrows… Arrows that were tipped with crystals of Dust. Removing both objects, I noticed another note beneath the quiver, written in very different handwriting.

_"Sorry, songbird. You'll need to find a sword on your own." _

_-R.T._

The next day, I took the letter to the instructors, and they confirmed its authenticity. I decided it would be prudent, however, to not tell them the true origin of my other "gift", instead saying it was a gift from Proffesor Ozpin. They seemed skeptical, but their skepticism was quickly replaced by joy at knowing that they had been the ones to train the first ever faunus to attend an Advanced Battle Academy, let alone one as prestigious as the legendary Beacon Academy. To congratulate, the entire school pooled their resources without my knowledge, and bought me a going-away present: A beautiful, wonderfully made silver rapier, to use during my lessons at Beacon. When they asked me to think of a name for it, I decided I would name it "Silver Melody".

Now, I'm standing aboard a departing airship, on my way to the Academy that, for the next four years, will be my home. I know it won't be easy, but I know it will be worth it. This is my chance to finally make a difference… To break down the walls of prejudice and stereotyping that have surrounded my people for centuries.

**_T_**

Battered and bloody, I knew that this was it; this was the moment when I would finally meet my death. But looking back, listening to the sobs of my baby sister… The roars of the Ursa no longer frightened me. They only made me angry. Hefting my fallen father's ax once more, I barely even felt the bloody gash that marred my left arm. My arm didn't matter. All that mattered was that I protected my sister. Right before I charged the Ursa, I shouted a challenge at it with all of my pain, my anger, my sadness. _**"I may fall… But not like this! It won't be by your hand!"**_ As I charged at the monstrosity that stood over four times my height, the world seemed to fade into a bluish blur… Before everything went black.

I was later told that when the police arrived at the scene, my baby sister Nora was still in tears, clinging to my father's unconscious body. As for me… They said that I was standing only a few feet away from what used to be the corpse of a gigantic Ursa. They said "used to be", because by the time they had arrived, my fit of rage had reduced it to little more than a pool of blood, and a pile of fleshy strips and crushed bones. I later heard them telling my father how it was unlike anything they had ever seen before… A ten-year old girl with no combat experience, armed with nothing but a well-worn lumberjack's axe, had utterly destroyed the biggest Ursa that had been seen near Vale in years. Not only that, but apparently scattered around the battlefield were large shards of earth and stone, which matched the shape of several nearby craters and fissures in the ground. I listened through the door to his hospital room as they told him about how they had found me, screaming in rage, my eyes glowing bright blue… My father later told me that he had "neglected" to tell them that my eyes weren't blue… I was born with blood-red eyes.

My name is Terra Valkyrie, and I killed my first monster when I was only ten years old. At the time, all I wanted was to protect my baby sister, Nora Valkyrie, who was only two years old at the time. At the time, I thought my father, a lumberjack by trade, was dead. It had all started with a simple trip to the outskirts of Forever Fall, the forest where my father made a living harvesting the sap and lumber of the trees that grew there. He had wanted to introduce me to the family trade, and prepare me for taking up his mantle, but an unexpected visitor changed all that.

My father was a competent warrior; all lumberjacks plying their trade in the dangerous woods of Forever Fall needed to be. But despite his combat experience, he was wholly unprepared for the fifteen-foot tall Ursa that attacked us. To my father's credit, he managed to hold it off for quite some time. But after a while, it eventually wore down his Aura, and then knocked him cold with a single powerful slap to his torso. That was when it turned on me and Nora. I was terrified; my father, a seasoned warrior of the forest, lay unconscious only a few feet in front of me, and the monster that had felled him had trained its sight on my baby sister.

I did the only thing I could; I picked up his axe, and tried to fight back. Thankfully, its first swipe only grazed my arm, but it left a large gash nevertheless, along with a scar that I still wear to this day. After that initial hit from the Ursa… I thought I was going to die… I thought it was going to kill me. But once I heard the cries of little Nora, and saw her cradling my father's unconscious head in her tiny arms… The thought of dying was unacceptable. I refused to imagine that beast laying a single claw on my beloved sister. After that… Well, you know the rest.

Two years after the "incident", I received a letter from Signal Battle Academy. Apparently, the Headmaster had heard of my victory over the Ursa two years prior, and wanted to invite me to his school, free of charge. He said that "A young warrior of my caliber shouldn't be hindered by financial obstacles." After the incident with the Ursa, my father had been practically crippled, with the doctors saying it would be several years before he recovered, meaning that I had needed to take his place in the family business… But I had no desire to remain working in Forever Fall. The forest held too many unpleasant memories. I sent a letter back to the Headmaster of Signal Academy, explaining how I was the only source of income for my family. A week later, he sent me a return letter, offering to provide finances to support my family out of his own pocket, in exchange for a simple promise: That I would become one of the most powerful warriors that Signal had ever produced.

Considering that this was the same academy that had given rise to Daniel Ozpin, arguably the most powerful Hunter the world had ever known, this was no small task. But at the same time, I knew that becoming a Huntress was my true calling. Also… I knew that at the Academy, we would be instructed in harnessing the powers of Dust… The power that I knew to be behind my bloodthirsty rage in the battle against the Ursa. And so I accepted his proposal, and the very next year, I had begun my education at Signal Battle Academy. The first month, we were all given the same assignment: Forge the weapon that would come to be our weapon of choice in the years to come at Signal.

There were numerous instructors on hand to assist us with this task, offering advice, and ensuring we didn't hurt ourselves in the forging process. Every student created something different; some created simple, easy-to-use weapons, while others invested more time and effort in order to create a deadly combination weapon, such as the ever-popular gunblade. As for me, I already knew I would end up using some form of battleaxe; I had accomplished too much with such a weapon in the past to consider anything else. But then a thought occurred to me: _"Why just create a normal battleaxe, when I can make one that can shoot things?"_ This sparked an idea, one that would lead me to create the weapon I use to this day: "Glanzfaust", a large battleaxe with a pair of sharpened tips designed for thrusting at the head of the blades, and could transform into a fully functional combat shotgun, complete with a wicked ax-head bayonet, as well as fire shells through the hollow ax handle at anything unfortunate enough to be speared by the wicked points at the ax's head.

As we began learning how to use our weapons, we were taught that even with modern ammunition compression technology, a weapon could only hold so many bullets; this was where our Aura came in. Many modern weapons are built with the capability to, when desired, channel a portion of the wielder's Aura, and turn it into what is commonly referred to as a "spirit bullet". For those with strong Auras, this meant that they could use their weapons firearm function for longer periods of time without needing to take valuable time to reload, albeit at the expense of their auras. For me, this knowledge became especially useful once I discovered, through much trial and error, how to form a wide variety of shells for Glanzfaust's shotgun function, from regular buckshot to solid slugs, all the way up to the feared incendiary rounds known as "Dragon's Breath".

Once we began to learn about Dust, I finally my first answers regarding my childhood encounter with the Ursa. I learned that every Huntsmen and Huntress receives unique gifts and powers from the Dust in their blood, whether it is faster reflexes in combat, or even the ability to use true magic. When I asked the instructors about Dust allowing you to manifest a violent battle rage, however, their answer was not very comforting. "Every few generations," they had said "there are a handful of warriors born with the ability to harness the Dust in their blood in order to enter a violent, bloodthirsty rage. This can make them a nightmare to face in combat. However, every great power comes with a price. Typically, their 'battlerages' end up driving them mad from stepping over the edge one too many times…"

I could tell from the looks on their faces that they strongly suspected that I may be one such "Battlerager", but I assured them that I was merely curious… But I could tell that they knew as well as I did that I was lying. This gave me a few answers, but it still didn't explain the earthen shards that supposedly littered the battlefield where I lost my innocence. I still haven't found the answer to that question yet, even though my final year at Signal Academy has just reached its end. By that time, my father had recovered from his injuries, and had once again resumed his work in Forever Fall… Albeit with much more caution. As for Nora… She's nine years old now, and she has come to look up to me like an idol as the years went by… To the point where she has decided she wants to follow in my footsteps, and train to become a Huntress. She seems far too happy-go-lucky to become a Huntress… But maybe it's just a phase. She's also become good friends with a young boy named Lie Ren, who also seeks to become a Hunter. I can already tell they'll become good friends…

Either way, I'm now on my way to Beacon Academy, to fulfill my promise to Signal's Headmaster. And maybe, just maybe… I'll make some new friends while I'm there…

_**Darkness never fades... But there shall always exist a shining bastion for the light; A bulwark against the tides of darkness...**_


End file.
